Cooper Hefner

Cooper Hefner
Born
Cooper Bradford Hefner

(1991-09-04) September 4, 1991 (age 33)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
EducationChapman University
OccupationBusinessman
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
​
(m. 2019)​
Children3
Parents
RelativesChristie Hefner (half-sister)
Military career
Allegiance United States
Service / branchUnited States Air Force
Years of service2019–present
AwardsUnited States Air & Space Commendation Medal

Cooper Bradford Hefner (born September 4, 1991) is an American businessman.[1][2] He is currently the Managing Partner of Hefner Capital.[3] He has worked as the chief creative officer and chief of global partnerships at Playboy Enterprises, a company founded by his father Hugh Hefner.[4][5] He was also the founder and initial chief executive officer of the startup company Hop.[6]

Early life

Hefner was born on September 4, 1991, in Los Angeles, California, to Hugh Hefner (1926–2017) and Kimberley Conrad.[7][8] He grew up in a mansion adjacent to the Playboy Mansion, which was purchased by his father after his parents separated.[9] Hefner graduated from Ojai Valley School in 2009 and received a bachelor's degree from Chapman University in 2015.[10][11]

Career

Hefner started working for Playboy Enterprises, Inc. when he was in college.[12] In early 2016, Hefner, who was a board observer at the time, left the company due to disagreements with then CEO Scott Flanders about the direction the company was taking.[10] Hefner then began editing, writing and publishing op-eds, which centered on politics, culture and philosophy.[7]

In 2016, Hefner launched the media startup company Hop (Hefner Operations & Productions) focused on content and social events for millennials.[13] Hefner returned to Playboy and was named chief creative officer of the company in July 2016 when Hugh Hefner stepped down from that post.[5][7] In February 2017, Hefner announced nude images would return to the magazine stating that the problem had been the presentation of nude images rather than the nudity itself.[10] Hefner also oversaw the decision to feature Playboy's first transgender playmate in the centerfold for its November issue.[14]

Playboy's earnings for 2017 increased by more than 39 percent year-over-year following Hefner's return to the company.[15] In January 2018, The Wall Street Journal reported the controlling shareholder of Playboy Enterprises was considering ending the U.S. print edition of Playboy Magazine, stating the magazine has lost as much as $7 million annually in recent years.[16] Hefner has been recognized on The Folio: 100 list for 2017 for his contributions to the magazine media industry as well as appearing on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for 2018.[15][17]

In January 2019, Hefner took over as the chief of global partnerships for Playboy Enterprises. In that position, he would focus on revenue and business development over content and media management.[18][19] In April 2019, Playboy Enterprises CEO Ben Kohn confirmed Hefner would exit his senior role at Playboy to launch a media brand, the Hefner Media Corporation, and a digital content platform called HefPost.[20] Later, through an Instagram account after having left Playboy, in July 2019 Hefner stated his new digital content platform would be called instead StagDaily.[21][22]

In December 2019, Hefner halted plans to start a media company and digital content platform, and chose instead to enlist in the United States Air Force.[23] Hefner was previously a member of the California State Military Reserve.[24] Hefner was deployed stateside to New Jersey's Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst for Operation Allies Welcome, which supported resettlement of approximately 130,000 refugees airlifted from Afghanistan following the U.S. withdrawal in 2021.[25]

In October 2024, Hefner offered $100 million through his firm Hefner Capital to purchase Playboy with the parent company PLBY Group’s shares having declined roughly 99% from a high of $57.70 in May 2021. PLBY, which had reported a decline in revenue, said in August that it is re-launching Playboy magazine as an annual edition, as of February 2025.[26]

Personal life

In 2015, Hefner became engaged to British actress Scarlett Byrne, best known for her role as student Pansy Parkinson in the Harry Potter series.[8] On November 4, 2019, Hefner and Byrne announced that they had married.[21] On August 24, 2020, Byrne gave birth to their first daughter.[27] On March 26, 2022, she gave birth to twin daughters.[28]

Hefner is a teacher at Chapman University, where he also serves on the board of governors.[29][30]

Hefner considered running for Congress in California's 37th congressional district in 2016.[11] In July 2020, Hefner announced his campaign as a Democrat for the California Senate in 2022, in the state's 30th District, but suspended it four months later.[31][32]

References

  1. ^ Kari Hamanaka. "Cooper Hefner, Modern Day Playboy".
  2. ^ "Hugh Hefner's Son Steps Down From Media Company, Enlists In Air Force | U.S. Veterans Magazine". December 14, 2019.
  3. ^ "Hefner Capital Offers $100 Million, Equity to Buy Playboy Brand". Bloomberg.
  4. ^ Wile, Rob (September 28, 2017). "Meet Cooper Hefner, the 26-Year-Old Heir to the Playboy Empire". Money.com. Archived from the original on January 28, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  5. ^ a b Staff writer (September 29, 2017). "High Hefner's youngest son to take over million-dollar Playboy Empire". News Corp Australia Network. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  6. ^ Tavana, Art (July 21, 2016). "Can Cooper Hefner Make Playboy Cool Again? We're About to Find Out". LA Weekly. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  7. ^ a b c Millington, Alison (September 28, 2017). "The insane life of 26-year-old Cooper Hefner, son of the late Playboy millionaire". Business Insider. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  8. ^ a b "Cooper Hefner Engaged to Falling Skies Actress Scarlett Byrne – See Her Massive Ring!". Us Magazine. August 6, 2015.
  9. ^ "Hugh Hefner's son reveals what it was like growing up in the Playboy Mansion". Business Insider. December 26, 2016.
  10. ^ a b c Baum, Gary (August 24, 2017). "The Next Hef: Hugh's 25-Year-Old Son Reveals Plan to Remake Playboy 'For My Generation'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  11. ^ a b Ziv, Stav (September 28, 2017). "Who Is Cooper Hefner? Hugh's Son Doesn't Respect Trump And Is Revamping 'Playboy' For New Generations". Newsweek. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  12. ^ Staff writer (November 29, 2012). "Playboy Founder Hugh Hefner Talks Life and Company". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  13. ^ "A Speakeasy Night By Hop Media". Red Hot Retro. Archived from the original on January 1, 2018. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  14. ^ Salam, Maya (October 19, 2017). "Playboy to Feature Its First Transgender Playmate". The New York Times. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  15. ^ a b "Cooper Hefner, 26". Forbes.
  16. ^ Alpert, Lukas I. (January 1, 2018). "Playboy Might Kill Magazine to Focus on 'World of Playboy'". Wall Street Journal – via www.wsj.com.
  17. ^ "The Folio: 100 Awards". Folio Magazine.
  18. ^ "Cooper Hefner takes over as Chief, Global Partnership".
  19. ^ "Meredith Appoints New Chief Strategy Officer | People on the Move". Folio. January 10, 2019.
  20. ^ "Cooper Hefner Exits Playboy Role to Launch Millennial-Focused Website HefPost". The Hollywood Reporter. April 12, 2019.
  21. ^ a b "Cooper Hefner Marries Girlfriend Scarlett Byrne". The Hollywood Reporter. November 4, 2019.
  22. ^ "We ran into issues with HefPost due to HuffPost and challenges with Hefner Post due to the Hugh M. Hefner Foundation structured to continue its work combating social injustice. We have finally landed on a new name. We look forward to introducing Stag Daily in the months ahead". Instagram. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  23. ^ "Hugh Hefner's Son Joins Air Force". Fox News. December 18, 2019.
  24. ^ Millington, Allison (March 21, 2013). "The insane life of 26-year-old Cooper Hefner, son of the late Playboy millionaire". Business Insider. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  25. ^ Virginia Chamlee (November 3, 2021). "Cooper Hefner on Recent Deployment to Help Resettle Afghan Refugees: 'Bright Days Ahead'". People.com.
  26. ^ Weprin, Alex. "Cooper Hefner Plots $100M Playboy Acquisition (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
  27. ^ "Hugh Hefner's Son Cooper and Harry Potter Star Scarlett Byrne Welcome Daughter Betsy Rose". People. Meredith Corporation. August 25, 2020.
  28. ^ Howie, Michael (March 29, 2022). "Harry Potter star Scarlett Byrne welcomes twin daughters with husband Cooper Hefner". Evening Standard. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  29. ^ Hefner, Cooper [@cooperhefner] (November 5, 2018). "It's an honor and a real treat being invited to return to Chapman University @ChapmanU not as a student this time around, but as a faculty member. I look forward to teaching evening classes beginning next year at my alma mater" (Tweet). Archived from the original on January 29, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2022 – via Twitter.
  30. ^ Gardner, Chris (March 10, 2020). "Cooper Hefner and Wife Scarlett Expecting First Child". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  31. ^ Alison Kosik (July 13, 2020). "Cooper Hefner, son of Playboy founder, announces campaign for California Senate". CNN. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  32. ^ Hefner, Cooper [@cooperhefner] (November 30, 2020). "Today we are suspending our California State Senate exploratory campaign in light of another service commitment. I remain committed to working towards build a better government and society. 1/2" (Tweet). Archived from the original on March 5, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2022 – via Twitter.

Further reading